Bishop Museum is pleased to announce that Ki ho’alu Master, Cyril Pahinui will be the featured instructor of an on-going class in slack key guitar. Public educational programs incorporating the expertise of one of Hawai’i’s preeminent cultural practitioners, and artists is in keeping with the Bishop Museum’s mission of sharing and preserving the cultural history of Hawai’i.[Read more]

To all you Hawaii-based musicians, the Hawaiian Music Conference is happening January 27, 2007 on Maui. This is a great opportunity to hear from industry greats like songwriters Keli`i Tau`a, Keali`i Reichel, Kawaikapuokalani Hewett and Pu`ueo Pata, industry legend and keynote speaker Kenneth Makuakane, recording engineers Gaylord Holomalia, Dave Russell and Jake Rohrer the Barefoot Natives, marketing gurus Aunty Maria, Keola Donaghy and Karey Oura, music attorneys Bill Meyer and myself and a Grammy update from Alan Yamamoto. See you there!

So, the Hoku Award results (Hawaiian version of the Grammys) have been announced. This year was particularly exciting for me, given the enormous amount of new talent. In such a small industry, it’s great to see new faces. More than anything else, that is a sign of health for the Hawaiian music market. For all of you looking for some new bands, check out Holunape. These guys have a wonderful traditional Hawaiian sound. Looking for another blazing uke player? Try Abe Lagrimas, Jr., an exceptionally talented guy. Of course, there are some old favorites too. Hapa continues to push the envelope of Hawaiian music, and it’s great to see that people who stretch the boundaries can still be recognized by the Hokus. There are so many more, Aaron Sala and Kaumakaiwa Kanaka`ole just to name a few. My pick to sweep the awards next year: Barfoot Natives.